No discrimination in reservation: Prasad

Cooperation Minister H S Mahadev Prasad dismissed allegations that some communities were discriminated while reserving seats for elections to cooperative societies, here, on Sunday.

Speaking to media person, he said, women and backward classes were reserved two seats each, while SC/ST communities were reserved one seat. “There had been a lengthy discussion regarding the issue in the Assembly. However, I am not aware why MLC B J Puttaswamy raised the issue again,” he said. It can be recalled that Puttaswamy, on Saturday, had alleged discrimination in reservation of posts in the election.

Prasad said, the earlier government had reserved a total of five seats for cooperative societies. However, the number of directors for any cooperative society was only nine. Since, there is a legislation that prevents reservation to more than 50 per cent of the posts, State government proposed to increase the number of directors to 11, he said.

Noting that there were more than 35,000 cooperatives in the State, he said, elections were scheduled for 8,790 cooperative societies, of which 4,837 have been completed already.

Responding to a question, he said, he was not acquainted with Begur Nandish, who had lodged a complaint against him with the Lokayukta. He said, he had not received any notice from the court, with respect to any irregularities. “Therefore, there is no question of filing a defamation case against him,” Prasad said.

Nandish had lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta, alleging that Prasad was illegally sanctioned a Karnataka Housing Board site in Bengaluru.